Filmmaker Tommy Reid Talks $uperthief
I Know That Voice, Upcoming Projects, And More!

By Amber Topping



Director Tommy Reid

Tommy Reid is the successful filmmaker behind films like Kill the Irishman, Danny Greene: The Rise and Fall of the Irishman and Screwball: The Ted Whitfield Story. His new documentary, $uperthief: Inside America's Biggest Bank Score, is the intriguing true story behind master thief Phil Christopher which is now available to watch on VOD.

Reid took the time recently to talk to REAP about $uperthief, how the popular documentary I Know that Voice was made, what movies resonate with him, advice for aspiring filmmakers (including his three P’s to make it), being a new Dad and what he’s working on next (such as a feature film based on $uperthief written by the writers from NBC’s new hit The Blacklist).

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First of all, do you want to talk a little bit about your background and where you interest in film may have come from?

I grew up in New Jersey and basically, I got the film bug when I went over to study finance over in London. A couple of flatmates were studying plays and entertainment, and basically I got the bug and wanted to be a filmmaker when I was a guest over there. My roommates were in certain plays, so I got some entertainment ideas—what would be good for movies—and I came up with some and helped them shape their ideas, and that's kind of when I realized I really had passion for wanting to be a filmmaker.

How did you ultimately get involved with your first projects?

I moved out to Los Angeles after film school. I graduated from Ohio State, and then after that I went to film school to pursue my film aspirations, and basically was a big fan of trying to option books that were on the New York Times Bestseller's List. That is kind of what led me into owning my first book option, which was Kill the Irishman, a true-story novel based on the Cleveland Mafia. I optioned that book and basically pursued it, developed it, wanted to direct it. [I] knew that I was a green filmmaker, but wanted to get into that world. So I basically made a documentary that was later to be the companion piece to the feature film. And that's kind of what led me into my realm to option books to start making into movies.

Kill the Irishman 12918304608306

You've done a lot of feature films, but you've also done quite a few documentaries. What draws you specifically to documentaries?

What draws me to documentaries? I like true stories. I like telling true stories, and to me when you're reading a book, there's basically a foundation of what's going on with the truth. And to me, I always feel like it is great research for me to direct the feature film. Doing a documentary allows me to tap into what's really going on inside that world. So doing documentaries allows me the chance to really uncover what the heart of the story is, what makes that story move forward, and why it is compelling to me. And so I find that doing documentaries allows me to really hone my skills of how I can then elaborate and collaborate with the actors when I do make a feature film because I really understand the nuts and bolts of what the foundation of the story is I want to tell from a documentary. 

That's a great idea actually to use a documentary as research to the feature. 

Yeah.

Do you prefer working on documentaries or features?

You know, they both have their pros and cons. The thing I like about documentaries is that there's not a big production team. There's a very small team. It's usually a couple producers, the director, and the editor, and you really start shaping the story in post-production with the editor. That's really what it comes down to, is the director and editor's relationship telling the story you want to tell. But when you're producing and in production on a documentary, you're trying to get as much information, as much research as you possibly can to allow you to fulfill all the steps that you need to take to tell the foundation of the story.

So I really like telling documentaries that way, but making movies is much more of a bigger collaboration. You're recreating as much as you possibly can of the truth, but you always have to adhere to the Hollywood ways of telling a story correctly. And that's usually, you know, kind of fudging a little bit of the truth from a true story because you have to adhere to the typical Hollywood ways to make a commercial movie.

So they both have their ups and downs. I mean, I plan on turning the $uperthief documentary into a feature film, and that's going to allow me to be able to articulate my vision to the actors that I want to work with. It’s not going to be 100% accurate like a documentary would be.

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For those who don’t know, what is $uperthief: Inside America's Biggest Bank Score about?

Well, it's a captivating firsthand look on the biggest bank burglary in U.S. history that took place in 1972 in Laguna Niguel, California. The way that these thieves broke into the bank, and how they periodically went back for over three nights to make the biggest bank burglary heist possible, was something that hadn't been done at that time period. It was kind of an unorthodox way that they broke into the bank through the roof, and they didn't go after any of the money that was in the bank, but they went after the safety-deposit boxes of the very wealthy in Southern California.

So it's a firsthand look of what made this happen, and how did it work with the thieves themselves. I'm very fortunate to have the actual story subject, Phil Christopher, to still be alive, and to have him open up and express exactly what made him tick, what made him move, what motivated him to really take down this type of bank burglary. And it's much different than a robbery because [in] a robbery, there's somebody's life put in harm's way, whereas a burglary is a Mission Impossible style to a job, or to a heist. It's you against the clock, you against the odds of all these very hard tasks, and to get out of the bank safely and securely without actually hurting anyone, and getting all the loot, if you will.

How did you get Phil Christopher on board? Did it take a lot of convincing, or was he really excited to tell his version of the story from the start?

That's a great question. … I was very fortunate enough to have completed a movie called Kill the Irishman, and along with that movie was the documentary that I produced and directed called Danny Greene: The Rise and Fall of the [Irishman]. Because he saw that, and he saw how I was so accurate to what the story was and how I told that, he wanted nobody else but me to go and tell his story. Because he was in the same area, the same location, and it was a very highly successful movie for that region of the northeast Ohio, there was nobody else that he wanted to tell his story but me.

Tommy Reid Directing

Is that how you found out about Phil Christopher's story? While working on the Danny Greene documentary or Kill the Irishman?

Yes, exactly. So what happened was Kill the Irishman was based off of a book, and $uperthief was based off of a book by the same author. The author was telling me that he was writing this book, and when he was done we were on set of Kill the Irishman. He gave me the book, I read it, it was very factual, and I knew that there was much more to the story than was in the book. And to further my research to eventually make a feature film, I wanted to do a documentary—exactly what I did for Danny Green—to learn more about the heist itself, and to learn more about Phil Christopher, who was the mastermind behind this America's biggest bank burglary. So to me, having those steps in order to create a foundation for what the story needed to be told, that's exactly where I went to.

Watching the film, something that I loved about it was how real Phil Christopher felt. He became this human being I could emphathize with despite his past. Do you find it takes the gift of empathy to be able to tell an objective, honest story about figures like Danny Greene or Phil Christopher?

Philip Christopher BurglarYeah. Look, at the end of the day, they're criminals. But there's something to be said for the way that they think and what motivates them. Phil Christopher was not a violent burglar. He never wanted to do house jobs; he wasn't a cat burglar. He wanted to basically fight the insurance system. And he knew that if he would take down a bank or a jewelry store that they were insured. They would be covered.

He wasn't hurting anyone. Phil Christopher felt like battling a place, taking over a heist that was insured—that was OK with Phil. He was not OK with going after home burglars and stuff like that, where people could be put in harm's way. He wanted nothing to do with that. He wanted to just go after places that were insured. He felt like the insurance companies were the big thieves in the scheme of things.

Watching the film, you never get the sense that crime pays. Was that intentional on your part?

Yes, that is exactly what I wanted to express. It might pay for the very short term, but at the very end of the day, it's going to take away so many things that life gives you: the opportunity to grow a family, to establish more relationships with your loved ones, your children, your siblings … And by doing crime, you're eventually going to get caught, and it's going to take away those beautiful things that life offers people. And that's what I really wanted to get across that: Does crime pay? It might for a very short term, but these people are addicted to it. They get a high off of making a successful burglary happen. And that to me does not pay in the long run. That's what I really wanted to establish. Great job picking that up! Thank you.

Many of the people you interviewed talked about how charming Phil Christopher is. What was your personal experience with him?

Exactly that. The FBI and the cops warned me, “Be very, very careful. He’s still a capable criminal that could do bad things.” And I was really hesitant to even bring my family around him. And getting to know him, he really was like a big teddy bear, you know? I mean, going into his home, and he had a big food spread for myself and my crew, and it was very easy to talk to him. And he wanted to talk to you, you know? He paid his bit, he paid his time, served his time for all of his crimes; and that was one thing I had to establish with him, with Phil, was that I needed him to trust me.

I was going to ask him some very hard and difficult questions that can't have him Band-Aid or mask any kind of a truth. I needed him to be open and honest, so that way I could get the best story I possibly could, which would later on … I could articulate that to an actor when we do make a feature film off of that. I need to exactly show who he is. And he did show me who he was. And he really is a really genuine, nice person.

Screwball.TheTedWhitfieldStory

You mentioned the feature. How is that moving forward? Is there anything you can share about that?

Yes. The writers who wrote the feature film are some of Hollywood's hottest TV writers right now. They are the writers on the hit new show called The Blacklist on NBC. And they are the writers who lay the foundation of the script, and I just had a big, big meeting with an A-list actor. I can't name their name, but right now we're in discussions to attach him as the lead actor and start attaching an all-star cast to the script. I'm hoping that next year is the year that we can get everything moving forward on it. There is going to be a feature film made.

I can't wait to hear more about it. I think it will be a great movie.

Yeah, there are not too many stories like this anymore that are true. And to have some kind of historical element to it, it's fascinating, you know? I mean, everyone's trying to do remakes, or having a third or fourth version of a sequel to a hit, and there just isn't that much true history that gets exposed anymore. This story to me is something that really needs to be told. I can't wait to bring this to the big screen.

Watching the documentary, you could see all kinds of stories that would work really well in a narrative feature, like the dynamic between Phil and his friend Charlie. Do you think their relationship will be featured in the movie?

Absolutely. Absolutely. You cannot tell the story without the dynamic between Phil and [Charlie] where those are two brothers. And at the end of the day, I have a theme that I follow in the script … which Phil kind of lived by: this “honor amongst thieves” code. And there's no such thing when it comes to these people. Phil was looking over his shoulder, there's very little trust, there's a lot of paranoia that sets in a lot of these thieves. And that comes apparent to the very end of the movie. And in the documentary, you see that at the end … Phil was hurt because he considered Charlie to be his brother [but Charlie] winds up ratting [Phil] out to save his own butt from going to jail.

Let’s talk about I Know That Voice. How did you get involved with that project?

I Know That Voice is a documentary [with] my buddy John DiMaggio [the voice of Bender on Futurama]. … He’s the narrator of $uperthief the documentary and my Danny Greene documentary, and he and I have worked on several projects together. We have a great relationship and a great working relationship. But finally I said to John after $uperthief, I said, "What do you have going on? What do you want to do?" And he said, "I have this idea for a documentary that I've had for a very long time now, and I haven't got a chance to really move it forward. [It’s] just not taking a life of its own. Can I have your help, and you come on and produce it for me?" And when he told me the name of the title, I was hooked right there with I Know That Voice; all about the voiceover industry. And I'm like, "I'm in." Because those actors are such great actors, yet they don't get the exposure and the credit for being everything you hear all around you. Whether it's a toy, a video game, a commercial on the radio, a commercial on television, or your favorite cartoon or animation, that's what they do. And they get so little recognition, and it's such a mysterious industry, and there's such anonymity to who these people are, we wanted to give them their face time. We wanted to expose who they were.

So once John phoned about the opportunity, I put myself into fifth gear, and immediately started making this production go forward. And it was just such a fun, entertaining, and very educational project for myself. I learned a lot about the voiceover industry. I have such respect for these journeymen, these voice actors; they are extremely talented. And they don't get enough recognition [for] what they do. I was very fortunate enough to work with these people and have such a great time making this documentary. It came out Jan. 7 on iTunes, and it has such a huge following. It's actually a very global project. We're getting people from all over. I mean, there's Sweden to Australia to Japan, and we touched upon all these different areas of the voiceover industry that we think it's going to be the go-to documentary for people that want to learn about the voiceover industry …

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I can't wait to see it. I've seen the trailer and it looks really, really good.

Thank you. It was a passion piece that John has had for a long time, and I'm very fortunate enough to have such a great friend include me on a project that we could share with everyone else out there.

What movies specifically resonate with you and have they influenced your own style of filmmaking?

Great question. The movies that resonate most with me are movies that have some kind of strong underlying meaning to them. And when I say that, they're usually based on true stories. They're not biographies, if you will, but they're based on some truth to them, whether it's an individual or a certain event that happens in history. I like exposing those types of stories. I'm also a big fan of the gangster, mafia genre. My favorite movies are Goodfellas, Casino, and The Godfather trilogy. I also like almost everything by Michael Mann because they have some kind of action to them. And I really, this goes back to $uperthief, but his movie Thief and the movie Heat have a lot of influence on my vision for how I want to make the feature film. So movies like that, that resonate with me, that have an underlying story for truth to be told really kind of hit home with me. On the opposite spectrum, anything that has a good laugh, and that goes back from an Animal House movie to all the way to Ron Burgundy. That too.

You've worked on all these different films like Kill the Irishman, Strike, Screwball. What were some of your experiences working on these different projects?

It allowed me to experience that filmmaking is a true collaboration. You might be the producer and director, but it takes a whole army to make a movie happen. And I know that to truly be a great filmmaker, you need to allow yourself the opportunity for these other professionals to do what they do best; allow them to be the person that you hire them to be. If they're in wardrobe, or they're in set design, or they're even the head of craft service, you know that you have to allow them to do what they do, which is why you hired them. And that is the true meaning of collaboration.

What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers in any department, particularly ones going down the independent route?

My advice to them is to never stop because somebody else doesn't know. There's always somebody else that you're going to have to find that's going to say yes. And it's never going to be the first person you talk to. If it is, you're very lucky. But nine out of 10 times, you're going to hear the word no. It’s going to get you down, but you know that you have to fuel yourself back up and keep it going. Today there's such technology out there that allows independent filmmakers the ability to compete with the true professionals. The kids nowadays are using cameras that are cheaper, more high quality, and their editing software they're learning at a very young age … these future filmmakers are going to be given such ability to expose their talents to everyone out there if they just stick with it. And they just persevere because their passion is allowing them to move forward. And to me, I live by the three p’s: perseverance, patience, and passion. If you can obtain those three, there's no doubt you will definitely achieve your goals and what you want to do, which is tell your story. And I say to anyone, just do it. It can be the worst piece of junk that you've just made, but as long as you did it you accomplished the one thing, which is making a story happen. That to me tells everyone that you're willing to put in the time, the dedication to do it, because if everyone could do this, it'd be saturated. If you're the type of person that's going to persevere after all the crap out there, if you will to really tell your story—and I tell everyone out there to stick with it—eventually, you'll get your time. If I would have given up on Kill the Irishman, I never would have told that story. It took me 13 years to tell that story.

Do you have any other upcoming projects REAP can look forward to supporting?

Yes. I am on this great new web series that we hope to be a television series called My Life as a Dad that I am producing and directing. And our executive producer, Robert Nichol, who's also the host of My Life as a Dad, interviews celebrity dads on different stages of being a father, from expecting dad to new dad to active dad, and to the old Archie Bunker/Bill Cosby dad (the experienced dad) … He interviews them to capture the essence of what it is to be a dad, what lessons did they learn, what advice do they have ... what was the biggest influences that they have on being a dad from their dads to being who they are as a dad in the present stage. It's a great new series that we're creating; we're building out four different steps right now, and we're going to put it on the Daddy Scrubs Youtube Channel … Being a new dad myself, having a 15-month-old son is something I have true passion for. Because had I had a show or a web series that allowed me to learn a bit more about what it takes to be a good dad in your wife's eyes and your kid’s eyes, I would tune in for those little three-to-five-minute clips to just hear other fathers, some of their advice, some of their stories that they went through, some of their influences that they had on themselves, and why they are who they are today.

I'm actually really excited about My Life as a Dad because … it’s more or less a parenting, a family type of content, which is what I'm really getting into now. Because that's who I am, you know? I'm a new dad, and it's the most exciting time of my life, and I want to be the best dad I possibly can for my son and my future children. And that's kind of my new aspiration to really get into the parenting, family world, and making content that goes towards them and helps them become better parents, better dads. And to expose stories and issues that are facing these people today.

What's the best way for people to follow your projects and keep up to date on everything?

I would follow … my Youtube Channel: Dundee Entertainment. I would follow … my website: dundeeentertainment.com—that usually will have some updates. And by following My Life as a Dad, you'll see some of the new projects and the people that we're working with.

 

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Chuck Workman’s What Is Cinema?
Attempts To Define The Films That Go Beyond

By Erin Whitney



ozartsetc what-is-cinema chuck-workman documentary poster 00-e1384820264401

While film has been a large part of popular entertainment for decades, it is one of the most recent art forms, and one we have yet to fully comprehend. Since audiences shrieked in astonishment at the arrival of the Lumières’ train in 1986 (whether or not that myth is true), we’re still perplexed when trying to condense the magic of the moving image into words.

Chuck WorkmanWe’re not talking about Hollywood movies, the big budget, CG-laden pictures that dominate the box office and the Oscars. We’re talking about “cinema,” which is an entirely different creature. Documentary filmmaker Chuck Workman, most known for making the Oscar montages each year, spent the majority of his career editing blockbuster movies into trailers and awards sequences; however, his true love is cinema.

Workman described over the phone in an interview that What Is Cinema? grew out of his previous documentary, Visionaries, which highlighted the work of Jonas Mekas and other experimental filmmakers. “Originally, it was supposed to be another look at avant-garde films,” Workman said, but then he began adding other films that “really push[ed] the limits of cinema.” Just some of the many films shown in Workman’s documentary include 8 ½, Pierrot le Fou, Citizen Kane, Pickpocket, Chinatown, Z, and Michael Snow’s Back and Forth. There’s a little bit of everything for film lovers, as well as four new experimental shorts created just for the documentary.

However, with so many iconic films and filmmakers to include, Workman knew he had to leave some out, and thus, he crafted his own criterion. “I made a rule to myself that it has to stand next to [Robert] Bresson,” Workman said. “For people my age, Bresson is like the Alain Resnais or the very strong, more theoretical filmmaker where you have to study his films; somebody that was serious about their filmmaking.”

When watching What Is Cinema?, devout film fanatics may notice a some of their favorite filmmakers missing or only briefly mentioned, such as Krzysztof Kieslowski, Terrence Malick, and Theodoros Angelopoulos. “There were some filmmakers that I like very much,” Workman said, “but I don’t think that they measure up to Bresson. In some cases, nobody measures up to Bresson, Fellini, or Kurosawa, but it’s an aspiration that people are going towards.” This aspiration that all true cinematic artists are reaching for is what Workman defines as “constantly pushing the envelope.” Those showcased in Workman’s documentary are the ones who constantly strive to reinvent the art form.

For Workman, Hollywood filmmakers are like McDonalds since “they’re going to give you a hamburger that everybody’s going to like,” while cinema is gourmet food for an acquired taste. What Is Cinema? tosses the Happy Meal and raises the standard to three Michelin stars, or the premium filmmakers, according to Workman.

Beyond renowned and celebrated films, Workman’s documentary also includes works of video and visual arts, categories that are can be discussed separately from cinema. When trying to get video artist Bill Viola to be a part of his documentary, Viola’s assistant told Workman that Viola’s area of work didn’t concern filmmaking. “Then Bill called me,” Workman said,  “and said, ‘No, I do do that. That’s what I do: cinema.’ ” Some may argue that Viola’s type of work and many forms of art displayed in a gallery space are of a different breed than filmmaking. Yet, who is to say cinema isn’t art and art isn’t cinema? Is the mode or space of exhibition necessary when defining film? For Workman, it isn’t. “This kind of gallery [and] digital art adds a different kind of experience when watching it, but the tools are the same … you just have a different context.”

With growing technology and new modes for watching movies, exhibition is becoming a more important and widely debated topic. The question remains whether or not viewers can experience the full effect of a film when watching on a tablet or iPhone. While many still prefer the theatrical experience, Workman says these digital innovations aren’t so bad after all. Alluding to a quote by Stan Brakhage about a book of paintings being the next best thing to viewing them in a gallery, Workman said, “I don’t mind. Look at it on a phone, look at it on an iPad.” While he agrees the smaller screen and sound quality are no comparison to a theater, he is still grateful audiences—especially younger generations—can experience films.

When it comes to Workman’s documentary, however, younger audiences unfamiliar with the history of cinema may not know many of the films it discusses. Some of the most recent films included in it date back to nearly 15 years ago. While this paints cinema as more of an archaism, Workman still believes that there are a handful of contemporary filmmakers adding to art form. He mentioned the work of Wes Anderson and Sarah Polley’s documentary, Stories We Tell, which also screened at DOC NYC this year, as some worthy additions to the cinematic canon. “There are people all over the world who are making serious films in other countries where they’re not caught up in the Hollywood distribution system,” Workman added.

Yet even after naming names and discussing an abundance of films, the titular question still remains: What is cinema? It’s something that several filmmakers found challenging to describe in the film, and one filmmaker admitted that he simply couldn’t put it in words. But the man who’s been editing fragments of the moving image for years and devoting his own work to exploring it had an answer. Workman said, “It’s an art form, like classical music, or painting, or poetry, that uses reality spread through a particular time period.” What makes cinema so magically different, for Workman, is the collision of all its parts, which help “to achieve something that couldn’t be achieved any other way.” According to Workman, you can’t explain cinema, you just have to do it. And for us audiences, maybe to fully understand it, we just have to keep watching.

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Magnificent Motion

By Alfredo Madrid



skateboarding-profileFor some, skateboarding is a mere pastime. For others it is annoying, dangerous, and quite an utterly dreadful repellant. Yet there are those who stand by their wooden planks as a chivalrous knight would his sword during the heat of battle in the olden days. Skateboarding is a lifestyle for an immensely diverse amount of members who have managed to indelibly form an ever-expanding subculture worldwide.

Skateboarding was born in Southern California when surfers created a device that would let them “ride” the streets and sidewalks when the waves just weren’t making the cut. The advent dates as far back as the 1940s or 1950s. Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world , is also the abode and epicenter of skateboarding.

With its comely nature scene and weather that permits and encourages outdoor activity, Los Angeles has electrified the skateboard scene, drawing skateboarders from all points of the globe. Most of the major companies are situated here, as are some of the best, top-notch talents in the industry. Southern California could quite possibly be the mecca of skateboarding.

Sightings of professionals and amateurs “destroying” or “killing spots” (skateboard lingo in which the act described is equivalent to a full-blown Tony-Hawkdisplay of mastery, bravery, and technical ability on any terrain, especially life-threatening locations where one’s safety is at risk) is a  common occurrence in sunny Los Angeles.

As skateboarding continues to expand ever larger and captivate public attention at an accelerated rate, the mainstream media is loosening its grip on what it presumes is the negative characteristics and features of the activity. Quite frankly, at the moment, skateboarding is in. It has become a lucrative business, almost as cutthroat as the entertainment industry itself.

Public skate parks have sprouted up all over SoCal seemingly overnight. As for the street spots, some of them are still heavily patrolled by authority, or are simply disfigured with knobs that deem them un-skateable or have been obliterated by fuming tenants and business owners.

Pedlow Field Skate Park

Yet skateboarding’s presence as a feature and unshakeable attraction in Los Angeles is undeniable. From the art shows and galleries in Highland Park, to the dive bars strewn throughout the city, and even to late-night parties in Echo Park or the vast Warehouse District, skateboarding continues to reign as quite a popular and omnipresent activity.

In “Skateboarding,” Fabrice Le Mao writes, “all skateboarders, whether professional or not, have an influence on the art world because of the way in which the activity links different social and cultural worlds—skateboarding is an inspiring image and is full of innovative activity in its own right. It seems hardly surprising that some artists deeply appreciate the creativity that comes from the ‘Sport.’ ”

DTLA Backside Ollie

The cataloging aspect of skateboarding brings aboard another seemingly motley and endless avenue for consideration. Whether in a black-and-white photograph, in a classy theater rented out for the evening at a skateboard-movie premiere, or in a kid’s homemade “Sponsor me” tape, documenting skateboarding on film goes hand-in-hand with the act of skateboarding itself. Los Angeles is immensely fruitful for such tendencies with its stock of available and burgeoning spots.

Amateurs, professionals, beginners, and all hybrids of those in between comingle on the streets of Los Angeles, all with one goal unifying them : shred, skate, and destroy. It isn’t the possibility of fame, travel, or money that motivates the devout skateboarder. The drive is the insatiable desire to overcome one’s fear of an obstacle and then proceed to execute the trick with finesse and fluid style.

A few compatriots of mine elaborated on the theme.

JoshSierraJosh Sierra, 24, a Los Angeles native, grew up skating this impressive city.  His conception of what skating is and his belief that a successfully executed trick will lead to both psychological and physical satiety, is a keen observation. Sierra appears to be under the assumption that success on the board has a metaphysical effect on the mind.

“I skateboard because it forces me to combine heart and mind in order to realize a higher mental and physical potential, which can only be found through perpetual motion,” Sierra said. “I guess, psychologically that is."

“When you combine your mental intention and it coordinates with your physical potential, it's very rewarding, that is trying and not getting it right but finally landing it.  You’ve got to go out of your comfort zone if you want a more rewarding session; you have to purposely make it harder on yourself if you want to get better.”

Joseph AivazianJoseph Aivazian, 31, from Glendale, Calif., just outside downtown Los Angeles, had a different take on the subject.

“It’s like going into the abyss … mainly it’s just fun and adventure for a really free-spirited individual – a complete escape from reality.”

“Tony Hawk’s Game came out, skateboarding was really popular … my older cousin skated,” said Tony Karr, 21, from Los Angeles, in reference to what initially motivated him to try skateboarding.

gabemartinez-1Gabriel Martinez, 34, also from Los Angeles, spoke of skateboarding in a somewhat spiritual sense.  “Basically, I started because it looked like a magical thing to do,” Martinez said.  “I like to get my Zen on … exercise, get my mind off things. It’s pretty therapeutic. … It’s fun doing tricks with friends; a high-five or two feels good.”

Mikey Ayala, an Eagle Rock native, 30, was attracted to the craft’s stylish aspect.

“I was into a lot of sports, but I got over it. Skateboarding allows you to express yourself individually by still being physical. … I met a lot of the people I do music with through skateboarding,” Ayala said.

As can be surmised by the attentive reader, allowing oneself to ride a plank of wood on four wheels down the street is neither safe nor dangerous. It is an experiment that allows the individual to step away from conventions. Nonetheless, it has enamored thousands the world over, and as can be expected, it is by far most definitely welcome.

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Dallas Buyers Club Screenwriters
Talk The Film’s Journey To The Screen

By Erin Whitney



dallas buyers club poster

Screenwriter Craig Borten made a promise 20 years ago to Ron Woodroof. This year, Borten followed through on that promise in bringing Dallas Buyers Club to the screen.

The film, which has been nominated for a handful of Golden Globes, SAG and Academy awards, recounts Woodroof’s journey as a homophobic rodeo cowboy who became a champion for AIDS victims. Woodroof, portrayed by Matthew McConaughey, is diagnosed with AIDS in 1985 and given 30 days to live. After an FDA-approved drug nearly kills him, he decides to take control of his recovery and begins illegally smuggling medications into the U.S. With the help of Rayon (Jared Leto), a transgender suffering with AIDS, Woodroof starts a buyers club that sells the alternative medicines to victims of the disease.

Dallas Buyer Club Screenwriters

The story behind Dallas Buyers Club is not only one about a man fighting to stay alive, but also one about those devoted to telling his story, even if it took two decades to make it happen. The screenwriters behind the film, Borten and Melisa Wallack (Mirror Mirror), talked with REAP about the seemingly endless challenges they faced and what they hope the film inspires in audiences.

How did you first learn about Ron Woodroof’s story?

Borten - A friend of mine sent me an article in The Independent. It was called "Staying Alive", and it covered the international gray market and the people that established it, who were smuggling in underground AIDS therapies for opportunistic infections and started buyers clubs. It had a feature on Ron Woodroof, who started the Dallas Buyers Club. I just thought he was a fascinating character, wrote him a letter, ultimately got him on the phone, and he said, “If you want to interview me, be here tomorrow.” So I drove to Texas and met with him for three days, about 25 hours of interviews on Dictaphone, and that’s what the movie’s based on.

And was that back in 1992?

Correct. That was 1992, and he passed about a month later.

Matthew McConaughey

Melisa, when did you join the film, and what drew you to it?

Wallack - I came on in 2000. What drew me to it? I think basically the character of Ron and his journey. Craig had written a bunch of drafts, and when I read it, I just immediately knew that he was a character that would be so much fun and gratifying to write.

Making this film took 20 years. What were the main setbacks?

Borten - There were so many different setbacks. One was the time, the closeness to the disease. It’s a tough subject matter, it’s a tough character. His character [Ron] doesn’t really lend itself to a studio movie, even though we got a studio involved. I think the different types of actors that were involved and filmmakers kind of elevated the material so that studios couldn’t look away. Ultimately, I think it was always an independent film that Melisa and I saw as this unlikely friendship between Ron Woodroof and Rayon, and it was best served as an independent movie. The thing is, certain films just take what they take. People think you set up a project and it’s in production six months later, but the truth is a lot of great films, or a lot of good films, take at least 10 years to get off the ground, and if you get it done before then, you’re lucky.

Were there any other challenges when developing the film?

Borten - Are you kidding me? (Borten and Wallack laugh)

Wallack - Every challenge. It was a difficult movie when we tried to get financing for it. I think almost every financer was like, “No one cares about AIDS. We don’t want to make a movie about it.” And obviously the financing part of every movie is so difficult, but this movie in particular just kept falling apart. Three weeks before we were shooting it fell apart. We kept on losing days, we kept on losing money. Writing someone’s life is a very difficult thing to do, and you always know there are going to be aspects that are left out. I think you definitely have to fall in love with the character and the story in order to persevere, so thankfully we had Ron as a character. I think both of us are so inspired by him that he kept us going.

Borten - His “never say die” attitude created our “never say die” attitude. Also, I made a promise to Ron that I would get his story told. He’s like, “I have a question for you, Craig. When will this film be in production?” And I was like, “Maybe a year, year and a half tops.” I was like, “Geez, I’m late.” I was late on the promise, but it happened eventually.

Did you ever have a specific actor in mind to play Ron?

Borten - Mostly I don’t write with actors in mind. We just fell in love with this character, and we just wanted to service the page and write an amazing character. We just happened to get, I don’t know, I guess we got lucky. We got four great actors that cast at different times that loved the material.

Jared Leto’s Rayon is one of the best parts of the film, and he has been nominated for a Supporting Golden Globe. What was it like writing such a groundbreaking character who is transgender?

Dallas-Buyers-Club-Jared-Leto-597x763

Wallack - It was really great. Jared’s character is really the heart of the movie. We met with a lot of people, transgender people, Craig had spoken to them too before, and I think it was a very interesting experience. We feel really blessed to be able to write a character like that and see it come to life. And the added benefit of Jared, who is so much more amazing than we could’ve hoped for or thought anyone would be.

Borten - I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but I think it was a very risky role for an actor to take. You could fall on your face, but Jared just humanized him, just made him beautiful. It was so much fun to watch him create this character, bring this character to set, and watch it evolve over the 25 days.

Dallas-Buyers-Club-1

I read that when Craig met with Ron, he said he wanted a film to be made so that people would ask questions. What are those questions you, and he, hope the film makes people ask?

Borten - That’s a great question. I’m glad you asked it! I think ultimately, he wanted to empower people. From his point of view it was like, “I’m given these 30 days, what do you do?” For me, it was like, “Would I have the balls to be as proactive as Ron? Would I have the balls to sue for medication and smuggle drugs that I feel could help me and create a movement?” I found it inspiring, and I think Ron in the film poses that question.

Wallack - I think that our film and what Ron was getting at is that it transcends the AIDS epidemic. That you don’t sit and be a passive observer, and that you really become proactive in all aspects of your life. That you don’t just take everyone’s opinions. You have to formulate what your own path is going to be. You really have to ask questions about everything.

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Happy And You Know It
A Short Story

By Trevor Ziegler



It had been almost two months since Tommy left his job as a call-center representative at a local bank. He spent his days aimlessly trolling the Internet, searching for the “perfect” job, something that he slowly began to realize might not even exist. It’s not that Tommy was particularly picky, either. He just had no idea what he wanted to do. At three years out of college, his biggest achievements as a self-proclaimed adult had been moving out of his parents’ basement and accumulating credit-card debt. He was hardly living up to the standards set by the rousing keynote speech of the young-entrepreneur-turned-billionaire at their commencement ceremony.

He woke up Tuesday morning around 11 a.m.; earlier than usual. It took all the strength he could just to roll out bed and check his email for any prospective job contacts. None. He was used to the rejection at this point. It was almost as if he went through the motion just so he wouldn’t feel guilty in the event he told someone he had been productive that day. Tommy sighed and checked his Facebook page. He made a mental tally: six friends engaged, three promoted at work, seven on vacation at some sort of tropical paradise, and 39 had made their own dinners and felt compelled to share them with the world.

Tommy rolled his eyes at the computer screen. Throughout the years, social media had transformed into a place that further validated his descent into mediocrity. Everyone around him was slowly turning into what he called “real” people: the type of people with 401ks, benefits, company cars, and frequent brunch dates. They were the people who talked about work when they weren’t at work with friends. More importantly, they were the type of people that he believed traded happiness for a paycheck. They were trading it for an illusion.

But why wasn’t he happy? It was a question he had asked himself many times. Tommy wished he could be a real person, someone who could just throw on a smile and hide behind his 401k and fancy brunch dates. He imagined himself making quinoa patties with dill dipping sauce, and sharing a picture all of his friends could see with a caption reading, “Yum! Compliments to the chef (me lol)”.

Tommy finally decided to leave his computer and get dressed before he inevitably began second-guessing every life decision he had made leading up to that point. Sadly, this was something that occurred more often than not if he was on Facebook for too long.

A lethargic Tommy slowly disrobed, grabbed a towel, and proceeded to take a long shower. He didn’t even need the shower; he just figured it was something to do that would pass the time. Tommy had a full day of nothing ahead of him, and he was fully committed to taking zero advantage of it. Aside from the occasional sigh, only the sound of the shower water beating against the acrylic tub filled his empty studio apartment.

As he began to put on a dirty pair of basketball shorts he had worn a few days prior, Tommy stopped himself. He decided to actually go outside that day, straying from his normal daily routine of watching Netflix in between naps. This required he put on some big-boy pants, the type secured by a belt and not a drawstring. With the final buckle of the belt on his slightly worn thrift-store jeans, he already felt like he had accomplished something that day.

By the time Tommy stepped out of his apartment building, it was already past noon. The streets were flooded with professionals filing into the local restaurants on their lunch breaks. He got caught behind two young, well-dressed professionals discussing a major conflict that had presumably come up at their work earlier that day. Tommy was intrigued.

“I just don’t understand why anyone would do that. It doesn’t make any sense,” the man said to his female counterpart. Tommy decided the man looked like every Men’s Wearhouse catalog he had ever accidentally looked at. He hated him for this.

The woman chimed in: “I have honestly never been so angry at work in my life!” She was a shorter, attractive woman, but there was something about her Tommy found agitating. “I literally want to die right now; they can’t just take away Free Massage Fridays. It’s not fair,” the woman added.

And that’s why I hate her. Tommy put on his headphones as a silent protest to the conversation he had been subjected to, and decided he needed a drink. He walked another two blocks and spotted a new bar that he decided to give a shot.

The bar was completely empty, with the exception of the bartender and a girl sitting at the end of the bar, quietly drawing in a sketchbook. Tommy took a seat at the bar and ordered an IPA. As he waited for the drink, he couldn’t help but to glance over at the girl every so often. Something about her demanded his attention.

She was a natural beauty. Her fair skin seemed to radiate, even under the dim bar lighting. Her piercing green eyes remained fixated on the sketchbook as she continued to draw. A bomb could’ve gone off under her chair, and it probably wouldn’t have even stirred her. Her focus captivated Tommy. It had been so long since he had been that genuinely engaged in anything the way she remained captivated by her sketchbook.

After his first beer, he felt he had the courage to comment on a SportsCenter segment that was playing on one of the large flat-screen televisions. “Who cares if they’re juicin’; everyone just wants to see some home runs,” Tommy joked. The bartender, fixated on his iPhone, politely chuckled at Tommy’s attempt at banter before averting his attention back to the phone screen. Tommy took the hint and ordered a Bloody Mary out of spite. The bartender sighed as he scrambled to find the ingredients to make the drink.

Tommy smugly smiled to himself as he waited for his drink. In the corner of his eye, it appeared as if the girl at the end of the bar was staring at him. He slowly turned his head and saw her smiling at him. Unabashed by Tommy’s detection, she held her smile for a few moments before returning to her sketchbook.

What the hell does she want? Tommy took a sip of his Bloody Mary and blankly stared back at the television screen. He couldn’t stay mad at her. Those eyes. I wonder what she’s drawing. A thousand possibilities ran through Tommy’s head. Was she drawing him? Is that why she was staring so longingly? Perhaps she fell in love with him the moment he stepped through the door. I’m not ready for something so serious. He laughed to himself for jumping to a radical conclusion so quickly.

Perhaps she’s designing clothes. Her attire seemed to validate this assumption. It was unlike anything he had ever seen someone wear. It didn’t quite seem to match, and anyone else would’ve looked like an idiot wearing those clothes. Yet it seemed to complement her unique beauty. She was perfect.

His imagination began to run wild. Perhaps she was drawing her own made-up world; creating her own characters and stories. Perhaps this was her escape. What are you escaping from? Maybe he was one of those characters. Maybe she was creating a happy ending for him. Could she be his happy ending?

He was lost in an infinite maze of possibility. One more drink and I’ll talk to her. Tommy ordered another beer. Suddenly, the girl set her pencil down on the bar and intently studied her creation. She seemed entranced by what she had drawn. After a few moments, she smiled, gently ripped the piece of paper out of her sketchbook, and placed it on the bar. She slowly gathered her things, and before Tommy could say anything to her, she was gone. Oh well. Tommy took a sip of his freshly poured beer. He glanced over at the end of the bar where the girl had been sitting. What could she have possibly been drawing? Tommy could no longer contain his curiosity. He took a sip of his beer and walked over to what had been built up in his head as a masterpiece. Anyone who could spark my imagination without saying a word must be a genius.

Tommy took his final steps as he approached the piece of paper. He picked it up and examined it carefully. This is it? The masterpiece he had composed in his head looked more like the work of a fourth grader. The picture depicted two shoddily drawn human figures, holding hands and smiling in the middle of a field, one male, one female. A large anthropomorphic sun shone down on them in the corner of the page. Small modified “V’s” that could only be interpreted as birds scattered throughout the cloudless sky. The word “happy” was written in the bottom left corner of the page in small, barely legible handwriting.

Baffled, Tommy placed the paper down on the bar and sat back down. Could this have been a message for him? I mean, she was staring at me. He smiled at the possibility that he inspired the girl’s artwork, regardless of its obvious lack of aesthetic value.

But she had inspired Tommy as well. It had been so long since he had let his mind wander in such a way. Instead of wallowing in his apparent missteps, he created a world in which he meant something; a world he wanted to live in. She had made him a dreamer again. Perhaps this was what happiness truly meant to Tommy: the capacity to dream. It was easy to get lost in the superficial world that surrounded him. Without a dream, life became a chore and hope became failed expectation. Tommy finished the last of his beer, leaving a hefty tip for the bartender. He smiled to himself as he exited the bar. Happy.

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